Swimming pool leaf trap

ABSTRACT

A leaf trap adapted to fit over a drain in the floor of a swimming pool includes a basket shaped to cover the drain. The bottom of the basket has openings through it to strain out leaves and permit water to flow through the basket and into the pool drain. A movable cover is disposed over the basket, and provided with means responsive to the position of the trap with respect to the pool floor for moving the cover to open and close the trap.

United States Patent Blumenfeld et al. Oct. 8, 1974 [5 SWIMMING POOLLEAF TRAP 598,296 2/1898 Snyder et al 210/237 627,016 6/l899 Schultheiss4/293 [76] Inventors. Charles M. Blumenfeld, 4700 18,160 12/1924 OHara10/235 X Pafkfldge a Cahf- 3,321,080 5/1967 Pansini et al. 210/169 x95822; Arthur N Wmterlmg, 52 3,667,611 6/1972 Pansini 210 169 CollegePk., Dav1s, Calif. 95616 3,715,032 2/1973 Nicho 210/235 [22] Filed: Oct.13, 1972 Primary Examiner-Theodore A. Granger PP N05 7 Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Christie, Parker & Hale [52] US. 497315725 146229337,22110612664: [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int CL 6 6 d g A leaf trap adapted tofit over a drain in the floor of a [58] Field "210/235 5 240 244swimming pool includes a basket shaped to cover the 210/246 166 drain.The bottom of the basket has openings through 2 it to strain out leavesand permit water to flow through the basket and into the pool drain. Amovable cover is [56] References Cited disposed over the basket, andprovided with means responsive to the position of the trap with respectto the UNITED STATES PATENTS pool floor for moving the cover to open andclose the 249,001 11/1881 Carpenter trap 543,617 7/1895 Dunstan 576,7902/1897 OBrien 210/247 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDUBI 81m3.839.749

sum 20? 2 SWIMMING POOL LEAF TRAP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to equipment for the maintenance of a swimming pool,and more particularly to a trap for removing leaves and other debriswhich settle in the pool.

Automatic swimming pool cleaners of the recirculation type are becomingwidely used. An example of an automatic cleaner for swimming pools isshown in my U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,027. In such a cleaner, a flexiblecleaning hose extends down to the pool floor, and is supplied waterunder relatively high pressure. The water jets out of the lower end ofthe cleaning hose, causing it to snake about and stir up sediment,leaves, and other debris. For the proper operation of such a cleaner itis important that the debris not block the pool drain, which must remainopen so that water with stirred-up sediment can be removed from theswimming pool, filtered, and returned to the pool. To prevent cloggingof the drain, traps have been devised to strain out leaves and otherdebris before water with stirred-up sediment reaches the drain. Leaftraps available prior to our invention have the disadvantage that whenthey are lifted from the pool for emptying, much of the trapped debrisis lost back into the pool, making the leaf trap operation relativelyinefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a trap for collectingand retaining leaves and other sediment when placed on the swimming poolfloor over the pool drain. The trap in-. cludes a basket with a coverwhich automatically opens when the trap is set in place over the pooldrain,'and automatically closes when the trap is lifted from the poolfloor for emptying. Once the trap is removed from the pool, the cover isreadily removed, permitting easy emptying and cleaning of the trap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more fully understoodfrom the following detail description and the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation taken on line 1-1 of FIG. 3 of a leaftrap constructed in accordance with the present invention, and set overthe drain in the floor of a swimming pool;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the trap shown in FIG. 1 beinglifted from the pool;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. '3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, aleaf trap 10 includes a basket 12 with an annular upwardly and outwardlyextending frusto-conical wall 13 having downwardly opening'slits 14extending from the lower edge of the basket wallto adjacent the upperedge of the wall. The basket has a horizontal bottom 16 withperforations 18 so that water with stirred-up sediment can flow into thebasket and out the bottom. An annular skirt 19 with downwardly openingnotches 20 is an integral part of the bottom edge of the basket wall,and extends a short distance below the basket bottom to rest on thefloor 21 of a swimming pool (not shown) over a grate 22 disposed in thedrain 24 of the pool. The skirt spaces the basket bottom slightly abovethe outlet plate so that when the basket bottom is blocked with leaves,water with stirred-up sediment can flow into the top of the basket, outthrough the side wall, through the notches in the skirt, and into thedrain until the basket is full of leaves or other debris.

An annular, outwardly and downwardly extending frusto-conical apron 26of flexible material, such as rubber or plastic, is bonded adjacent itsinner periphery to the upper edge of the basket wall. An inwardly anddownwardly extending annular flange 30 formed integrally with the innerperiphery of the apron provides an inwardly and downwardly extendingannular seat 32 shaped to receive an annular face 34 on the periphery ofa circular cover 36 disposed over the basket.

A downwardly extending rod 40, having a length about twice the depth ofthe basket, is secured at its upper end to the central part of thecover. The lower end of the rod makes a sliding fit in a vertical sleeve42 formed integrally with the center of the basket bottom. The lower endof the sleeve is open so that the rod can project below the basketbottom as shown in FIG. 2. The basket cover and rod have a specificgravity greater than water so that the cover normally tends to seat inthe closed position shown in FIG. 2.

A removable screen liner 43 made of Nylon mesh fits snugly inside thebasket over the bottom and slots in the side wall of the basket. Theliner includes a circular bottom 44 substantially coextensive with theinside dimension of the basket bottom. An annular upwardly and outwardlyextending frusto-conical wall 45 of the liner is substantiallycoextensive with the basket wall. A hole 46 in the center of the lineris slightly larger than the downwardly extending rod so the liner can beslipped down over the rod into the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A knob 11 is secured to the upper end of the rod to facilitate liftingthe cover from the trap after it is removed from the pool. I

Four vertical radially extending movable baffles 50 are mounted at equalintervals in respective radial slots 52 in the basket cover. Each baffleextends in a horizontal direction for a distance slightly less than theradius of the basket, and vertically for a distance slightly less thanthe depth of the basket. 1

The detail of the mounting for the movable baffles in their respectiveslots is shown in FIG. 4. The upper edge of each baffle includes anintegral, outwardly extending flange 54 which rests on the coveradjacent the slot 52. An elongated bead 56 is formed integrally with thelower edge of each baffle, and is slightly wider than the slot in whichit is mounted to prevent the plate from leaving the slot. The movablebaffles are molded from rubber or plastic, which is sufficientlyflexible to permit.

the baffle to be inserted or removed from the slot with moderate force.Gravity normally keeps the movable baffles hanging from their flanges asshown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, because the baffles have a specific gravitygreater than water.

Four vertical and radially extending stationary baffles 58 are formedintegrally with the top surface of the apron at equally spacedintervals, and are tapered downwardly and outwardly to a minimum heightatthe outer periphery of the apron. The baffles on the apron and coverprevent leaves and other debris from being washed past the leaf trapwhen it is set on the pool floor asshown in FIG. 1.

The cross-sectional area of the apron decreases from the inner to theouter periphery so that the outer periphery of the apron is relativelyflexible to make a close fit against the pool bottom. The respectiveends of four separate plastic buoyant cords 60 (FIG. 2) are secured to abuoyant plastic ring 62. The lower end of each cord extends down througha respective vertical channel 63 through the inner end of each baffleand through a respective slit in the basket wall. A knot 64 on the lowerend of each cord anchors the cord to the basket wall so the basket canbe lifted by the plastic ring and cords. The buoyancy of the cords andring hold them in an upright position to facilitate picking up the trap.

In operation, the trap is placed on the pool floor over the drain with along-handled brush or hook (not shown) slipped through the plastic loopattached to the cords. When the trap is so suspended in air and then inwater, gravity causes the cover to move down so that the rod 40 slidesdown through the sleeve until the face on the cover rests in the annularseat on the basket rim as shown in FIG. 2. As the trap is placed on thepool floor over the drain, the lower end of the rod stops when itcontacts the drain and holds the cover up as the basket is lowered intothe final position over the pool drain as shown in FIG. 1. The trap isnow open to receive the leaves and other debris swept toward the drainby an automatic pool cleaner (not shown). The outer periphery of theapron is sufficiently flexible to conform to the contour of the poolfloor, and minimizes direct access of water to the drain except forpassing through the basket.

As the pool cleaner stirs up sediment, leaves, and other debris andsweeps it toward the pool drain, the leaves and stirred-up sedimententer the trap through the open top of the basket. Water with stirred-upsediment passes through the screen liner, and the apertures in thebottom of the basket permit water with stirred-up sediment to flow intothe pool .drain. The screen liner strains out larger debris, such asthreads, hair, seed fragments, leaves and similar material too large topass through the screen mesh. This decreases the frequency ofbackwashing needed for the conventional swimming pool filter, and thefrequency of pump-strainer cleaning, thereby conserving water,chemicals, filter material (sand or diatomaceous earth), electric power,and time. The liner conforms to the shape of the basket, is flexible,and is easily removed for cleaning or replacement. The baffles on theapron and the cover guide sediment and leaves into the basket. Evenafter the bottom of the basket is effectively blocked by leaves, waterwith stirred-up sediment can still flow into the drain through thescreen and openings in the side of the basket, thus giving the trap acapacity substantially greater than that provided by the basket bottomabove.

After the basket is full of leaves, the buoyant loop is engaged by along-handled brush or hook, and the trap is lifted from the pool floor.As the trap is raised, the cover moves down by gravity and the force ofmovement upward through the water until the cover face rests on thebevelled annular seat at the upper edge of the basket. If the basket issubstantially full, the movable baffles on the cover slide upwardlythrough their respective slots, permitting the cover to seat properlyand close the basket. Thus, with the trap securely closed, it can beremoved from the pool without the annoying and undesirable loss of someof the trapped contents back into the pool during the removal of thetrap. Once the trap is taken from the pool, the cover is readilyremoved, permitting easy emptying and cleaning of the trap before thecover is replaced so that the trap can be relocated over the grate forfurther use.

We claim:

1. A movable leaf trap constructed and arranged to rest on the flooraround a drain in the floor of a swimming pool, the trap comprising abasket shaped to rest on the pool floor over the drain, suspension meanssecured to the basket for raising and lowering the trap, the basketincluding a bottom with openings through it to permit water to flow intothe basket and out the bottom into the pool drain, a movable coverdisposed over the basket, a member secured to the basket to movedownwardly relative to the basket and project below the basket when thebasket is moved out of contact with the pool floor and to contact thepool floor so the basket moves downwardly relative to the member as thebasket is lowered to rest on the pool floor, and means connecting themember to the cover to move the cover away from the basket to open thetrap when the basket is moved into contact with the pool floor and tomove the cover toward the basket and close the trap when the basket ismoved away from the pool floor.

2. A trap according to claim 1 in which the basket includes an uprightwall which has apertures through it, and a means for supporting thebasket bottom above the pool floor to let water flow through the basketwall and into the drain.

3. A trap according to claim 1 in which the removable cover includes atleast one downwardly extending baffle.

4. A trap according to claim 3 in which the baffle is movable up anddown with respect to the cover.

5. A trap according to claim 4 in which the cover includes a slot, and amovable baffle is mounted to slide in the slot.

6. A trap according to claim 5 which includes stop means for preventingthe baffle from sliding out of the slot.

7. A trap according to claim 1 which includes an annular flexible aprondisposed around the basket to extend downwardly and outwardly to fitagainst the pool floor.

8. A trap according to claim 7 which includes at least one upwardly andradially extending baffle mounted on the top surface of the apron.

9. A trap according to claim 1 which includes means for removablysecuring the cover to the basket.

10. A trap according to claim 1 which includes an upwardly extendingsleeve secured to the basket bottom, and a downwardly extending rodsecured to the cover and disposed in the sleeve to slide longitudinallyand project below the basket bottom when the basket cover is in theclosed position.

1. A movable leaf trap constructed and arranged to rest on the flooraround a drain in the floor of a swimming pool, the trap comprising abasket shaped to rest on the pool floor over the drain, suspension meanssecured to the basket for raising and lowering the trap, the basketincluding a bottom with openings through it to permit water to flow intothe basket and out the bottom into the pool drain, a movable coverdisposed over the basket, a member secured to the basket to movedownwardly relative to the basket and project below the basket when thebasket is moved out of contact with the pool floor and to contact thepool floor so the basket moves downwardly relative to the member as thebasket is lowered to rest on the pool floor, and means connecting themember to the cover to move the cover away from the basket to open thetrap when the basket is moved into contact with the pool floor and tomove the cover toward the basket and close the trap when the basket ismoved away from the pool floor.
 2. A trap according to claim 1 in whichthe basket includes an upright wall which has apertures through it, anda means for supporting the basket bottom above the pool floor to letwater flow through the basket wall and into the drain.
 3. A trapaccording to claim 1 in which the removable cover includes at least onedownwardly extending baffle.
 4. A trap according to claim 3 in which thebaffle is movable up and down with respect to the cover.
 5. A trapaccording to claim 4 in which the cover includes a slot, and a movablebaffle is mounted to slide in the slot.
 6. A trap according to claim 5which includes stop means for preventing the baffle from sliding out ofthe slot.
 7. A trap according to claim 1 which includes an annularflexible apron disposed around the basket to extend downwardly andoutwardly to fit against the pool floor.
 8. A trap according to claim 7which includes at least one upwardly and radially extending bafflemounted on the top surface of the apron.
 9. A trap according to claim 1which includes means for removably securing the cover to the basket. 10.A trap according to claim 1 which includes an upwardly extending sleevesecured to the basket bottom, and a downwardly extending rod secured tothe cover and disposed in the sleeve to slide longitudinally and projectbelow the basket bottom when the basket cover is in the closed position.